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Steven Lugerner is a versatile multi-instrumentalist and composer based in San Francisco, with deep-rooted connections to the Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City music scenes. As a bandleader, he helms SLUGish Ensemble, a fluid group focused on original compositions and arrangements, as well as JACKNIFE, a high-energy quintet dedicated to the music of iconic alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. Since 2010, Lugerner has garnered critical acclaim for his numerous albums, including SLUGish Ensemble: In Solitude (2023) It Takes One to Know One (2022), SLUGish Ensemble: An Eight Out of Nine (2018), JACKNIFE: The Music of Jackie McLean (2016), Gravitations Vol. 1-3 (2013-2015), For We Have Heard (2013), and Narratives (2010). His compositions have been praised for their “textured, nearly seamless blend of composition and improvisation” (The Village Voice), and The New York Times lauded him as “an impeccably trained multi-reedist.” The San Francisco Examiner notes that “Lugerner’s approach to making music is very much his own, and he seems to be pursuing it to impressive advantage.”

Lugerner has collaborated with a wide range of jazz masters, including legendary pianist Fred Hersch, Grammy-winning pianist Taylor Eigsti, vocalist Lisa Fischer, and groundbreaking artists such as Myra Melford, Tootie Heath, Eric Harland, Matt Wilson, John Hollenbeck, and Allison Miller. During his development, he was mentored by renowned musicians such as Jane Ira Bloom, Miguel Zenon, Mike DiRubbo, Chris Cheek, Ralph Alessi, and Jamie Baum.

Raised in the suburbs of San Francisco, Lugerner grew up in a multicultural, creatively supportive family. He began performing at a young age, playing clarinet, oboe, and saxophone with college and professional orchestras while organizing local DIY performances. In 2006, he moved to New York City to attend The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, where he graduated with honors in 2010. After graduation, Lugerner freelanced and toured extensively, performing with groups such as CHIVES, In One Wind, killerBOB, and his own SLUGish Ensemble, while building a nationwide network of friends and collaborators.

In 2013, Lugerner returned to the Bay Area and took on a leadership role at the Stanford Jazz Workshop as Faculty Director. In 2018, he founded Slow & Steady Records, a nonprofit label dedicated to showcasing the work of West Coast creative artists. Lugerner is now Director of Educational and Festival Programming at Stanford Jazz Workshop.